This invention is directed to an article holder for use in conjunction with stadium type chairs. The article holder slides over the seat portion of the chair to provide a surface for holding articles such as beverage containers, as well as storing other articles, such as coats and the like.
Joined rows of chairs are utilized to provide seating in stadiums, theaters, amphitheaters and the like. Whether these chairs are individual or formed as a unit, they are generally fixed to the supporting surface such that they remain fixed in predetermined rows. Further, the seat portion of these chairs are generally hinged such that they can be put into an essentially horizontal alignment allowing for more aisle space to facilitate movement by the occupants of the chairs between rows of the chairs.
In view of the amount of foot traffic between any particular adjacent rows of chairs, and in view of spillage of beverages, food and the like on the floors, the floors of stadiums, theaters and the like normally are quite unsanitary and dirty, sticky and the like.
Because of the conditions of the floors, the occupants of the stadium type chairs are extremely hesitant in placing articles on the floors. Further, with regard to personal articles such as coats, blankets and the like which might be brought along by the occupants to the stadium, theater or the like, aside from the hesitancy of people to set these on the floor for health or cleanliness reasons, there is a further hesitancy with regard to potential theft of the articles or inadvertent forgetting of the articles upon leaving the stadium.
If the occupant of a stadium type chair at a sporting event, theater or the like purchases food or beverage, the occupant must either consume the same in less than a leisurely manner, or physically hold the article or beverage in his hand or on his lap if consumption is to be undertaken in a leisurely manner. This detracts from the pleasurable enjoyment of the food or beverage.
It has been suggested by others in the past to equip these stadium type chairs with permanent racks or shelves. This, however, has not met with acceptance for several reasons. Because of the pivotable nature of the seat of the stadium chairs between a horizontal position while sitting on the same and a vertical position to facilitate movement down the aisles, any rack or shelf so attached to these type chairs would also have to be engineered and constructed to pivot with the seat portion of the chair. Further, there has been hesitancy to incorporate such shelves to stadium chairs and the like because of vandalism to the same and/or safety reasons with regard to people tripping or the like on shelves placed close to the floor.